Cassini still doing great things
The Huygens lander may be long since destroyed on Titan, but its Mothership, Cassini still continues to wow us with the images it is sending back to Earth. On Thursday, Cassini will fly within 15 miles of Enceladus. This is a very active moon. Internal heat and the tidal forces imposed by Saturn’s immense gravity provide more then enough energy to provide spectacular geysers at the poles. The surface shows little sign of impact which suggests it is being “reworked” A geological term used here on Earth to suggest the landscape is in a constant state of change. The water content of the geysers suggest that the icy surface could be hiding vast lakes of liquid water.
It makes Enceladus a prime candidate for life beyond Earth. Yet gaining funding to find out for sure is difficult. A mission to investigate potential under-ice liquid water lakes is risky. However, future exploratory missions have been suggested and are in concept stage. If any of them get accepted, it will be at least 2015 before anything concrete is on the table. In the meantime, keep track of Cassini’s current position.
Cassini today - 20081007, 2 Days to Enceladus!